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Monday, May 21, 2007

A CITIZEN'S VIEW OF THE U.S. IMMIGRATION ISSUEOn the subject of United States Immigration

As a citizen of the United States of America I have observed as our immigration policy has decayed into a situation that is now affecting the majority of Americans and believe that dramatic reforms are now critically needed if we are to maintain the integrity of this nation.

Two of the most fundamental elements of the foundation of the United States of America have been the acceptance of immigrants into the country and the democratic establishment of a system of rules and laws. Our society would fall into serious peril if not for the willingness of the vast majority to accept the necessity of following the established rules and laws of this nation. It is also a fact that the vast majority of Americans come from descendents who came to America through the process of immigration or have come here through the process themselves. As America grew and became industrialized in the latter part of the 19th century, the population of the country was also expanding rapidly. The leaders of the Government (and for a wide variety of motives) created the first of a continuing series of laws governing the immigration of people into the United States. There was no doubt spirited discussion and debate at that time and since about the issue of immigration and the question of who should be allowed to enter America and in what numbers and under which system. The point being that rules and regulations and laws were in fact developed and accepted by the American people and that system has been in effect for over 100 years. The privilege of citizenship (and entrance) in the United States of America is honored in our most sacred documents. The Constitution and Bill of Rights speak with reverence of the importance of citizenship in America. It may be the single most important element of our democratic society.

In this years of 2006 and 2007, more heated debates are being conducted to decide the future of the immigration policy of the United States. Our current system is broken and must be repaired in order to protect the social and economic stability of America. The reasons and the question of responsibility for the current status are many and can be equally distributed among both major political parties and this essay and suggested plan does not attempt to shift blame to a particular political party but rather to address the current situation and offer a series of suggestions to bring America out of this crisis. The effort must be a bold and monumental one if success is to be realized. The time for partisanship is past. The American people need to mobilize in a manner that would rival the rebuilding period that followed the horror of the Civil War or the climb Americans made to come back from the Great Depression or the massive effort made during World War II. The task before us is no less critical to the continuing survival and protection of the Untied States of America that has existed for 230 years.

The solution to the current status of illegal immigrants will not be easy to realize. The United States government and its citizens must be prepared to make sacrifices and accept responsibility for allowing the entire system to get this far out of control. During the correction period there may be shortages in certain goods or services. Prices of various items may increase as businesses adjust to wage changes or worker shortages for a limited period of time. Whatever developments that occur in the area of commerce simply must be accepted as a cost of correction. The American system has a long history of being able to adjust to virtually any obstacle.

An honest assessment and acknowledgement must be made by all the various Government agencies that in spite of their best efforts to date the actual results with regard to administering and controlling the immigration situation are simply not acceptable. Anything less than a completely objective review of the factual conditions of each agency followed by a series of corrective actions (with the involvement of both the management and the front line employees) will only result in a repeat of current failures in the future.

The border and port security issue is the key ingredient to the success of any effort. The government of the United States and all citizens and legal residents must acknowledge without compromise that the protection of this nation’s borders and ports must be implemented immediately by all means at our disposal. If America and its citizens are in fact at risk from forces around the world (which has already been demonstrated numerous times) then further delay is unacceptable. National security is simply more important than any aspect of immigration, legal or illegal.The issue of the status of the millions of people that are currently in the United States without proper documentation will require an acceptance of responsibility by the citizens of the United States for the nation’s failures in the enforcement of the lawful immigration policy. This does not necessarily mean that every single person that is currently in the United States without proper documentation should automatically be allowed to remain or that they would all be deported. A main part of any corrective action must include the willingness by those undocumented individuals to come forward and register and subject themselves to the legal system. If the millions of undocumented truly desire acceptance into American society they must believe in the system and accept the values of this country. After a specified grace period, anyone who has not registered and been granted authorization to be in the United States should be sent back to their country of origin and not allowed to return for at least 10 years. The main point is that the act of entering or remaining within the borders of the United States without proper documentation is, in fact, in violation of the laws of this nation and is unacceptable for any reason. Additionally, current violations of other laws, by “illegal” immigrants must also be addressed during this process.

Seven Steps to Immigration Reform

1) Secure the borders and ports of the United States of America with no exceptions.2) Order the unrestricted access to any and all information from any Government agency to the Department of Homeland Security that may assist in the identification of people that are illegally within the borders of the United States.3) Begin the process of removing services now available to individuals without proper documentation, including access to education, medical services, driver’s licenses, etc.4) Develop an American Worker’s Network to provide willing American workers to those industries most affected by the removal of illegal immigrants.5) Enforce existing immigration laws and any other laws (such as identity theft or using false documents) that are being violated.6) Review the current immigration policy with respect to entry quotas and personnel requirements to expedite the process for those applying for legal entry.7) Create a workable system for employers to actually verify an applicant’s immigration status and then severely penalize any employer who knowingly hires any individual not legally in the United States.

In summary, America and its citizens must stand up and do the correct thing with respect to the issue of immigration. We are taught by our parents, our schools, and all civil authority that America is a great and successful country and that we are supposed to be honest and obey the laws established for the protection of all. If a specific law or policy is deemed unfair or outdated by the majority of the citizens, there is a procedure for abolishing or changing the law. When individuals violate our law or citizens participate in the violation it weakens all of us and this must be unacceptable. Respect for law and rules of society cannot be determined selectively. The entire issue of immigration has become a political tool used by both major parties to gain funding and votes and this practice must end. Current leaders are and have been misleading the majority of American citizens about the facts (which is typical of most issues) and this too, must end. Real people and real lives are being affected and exploited on both sides of the issue. Otherwise law abiding members of the churches, medical community, social services, and the educational system are being placed in situations where they have to balance their moral beliefs with their instinct to be lawful citizens and it is the responsibility of the Federal, State and local governments to remove this burden. Individuals from around the world are risking life and limb to illegally enter the United States because they yearn for a better life and realize that they do not need to follow the established rules of entry as long as the United States continues to allow their illegal entry. Hundreds if not thousands of individuals perish annually attempting to make the journey and their blood is on the hands of those empowered but unwilling to institute the necessary changes that would actually save lives. There is a sector that is currently campaigning for the “rights” of illegal immigrants. My comment to them is that individuals who are in the United States illegally have no rights as defined by the U.S Constitution and the laws currently reserved for American citizens and those here legally. The politicians and the American people must not continue to allow the melding of legal immigrants and illegal immigrants when discussing the immigration issue to exist. They are not the same. The United States of America certainly should not carry the banner of democracy (and the rule of law) to any other part of the world if America itself continues to ignore its own laws. The long term survival of this nation is at stake and it is up to “we the people” to keep it alive. What will we ultimately do?

Thursday, January 04, 2007

IT IS NOW JANUARY 4th, 2007. Most Americans have just finished celebrating their holiday season and have spent time with their families and friends, watching football or playing in the snow or just being together. The spending frenzy that overtakes this country during this time of year has slowed down and now most people will be facing the task of how to actually pay for their indulgence. Again, most Americans simply add to their ever increasing credit debt and move on to the next spending spree. It's the American way.But there is a dark cloud hanging over the American landscape. It is a cloud that is bringing death and injury home each and every day and originates in Washington DC and travels through Iraq and Afghanistan.1,386 days ago the United States (along with a limited coalition) began an invasion of Iraq. The motivations and justifications for this invasion are shrouded in mystery and riddled with misinformation and outright lies (which is not unique in the annals of warfare). The point is that the Untied States has now found itself mired in an "war" in the middle of a country and a region that doesn't trust us and doesn't want us meddling in their lives. Again, this is certainly not unique when reviewing the policy history of the United States. This time we seem to be facing a resistance (to our supposed ideas about how the people of the world should live and what they should believe) that will prove to have a much broader global impact than when we engaged in the debacle that was Vietnam. If the situation isn't calmed down in the very near future (or at least contained) the Military Industrial Complex that planned and implemented these past four years (and the past 60 years of military action and control) will get exactly what they have wanted which seems to be an endless and all out war across the globe. As of today, 3003 United States military personnel have died in Iraq and an additional 22,000 have been wounded. Those figures are the ones being reported and may not be fully accurate. Those figures do not seem to include casualties in Afghanistan which doesn't get much attention these days.3003 AMERICAN LIVES have ended!! The lives of thousands of family members and friends have been changed forever! 22,000 AMERICANS have been wounded and their lives and the lives of hundreds of thousands of family members and friends have been changed forever! There are many who argue that this sacrifice is simply part of the "cost of freedom" and no different than the sacrifices made by more than 130,000 in World War I or over 400,000 in World War II or 37,000 plus in Korea or 55,000 plus in Vietnam and many others in smaller battles. If we just consider the term "sacrifice" in the most basic understanding of the word that argument might stand. The key distinction (in my humble opinion) is in the determination of needless sacrifice versus actual defense of our freedom. It is in this area where the American mindset and opinion has been manipulated to the extreme.Sacrifice in the face of LITERAL DEFENSE of this country (and not perceived or vague threats) should be understood and acceptable to all Americans. The key is how to determine when the defense of our freedom is literal and when it is just a furthering of the MIC agenda. In the coming days Americans will hear and learn that contrary to the "public will" and the results of our recent elections the President (controlled by the back room power (aka; MIC)) as Commander in Chief will inform the citizens of America that rather than starting a removal of US troops from Iraq, HE has determined that the BEST course for America is to escalate the conflict by INCREASING the troop levels in the form of a "surge" (we always like to disguise things with new terms). He will give us the same line about how this "war" simply must be "won" OR ELSE. The implied "or else" is that terrorist armies would be invading the shores of America in massive numbers should we leave Iraq. This policy of projecting fear has been used throughout our political history. Study the "fear" speech of the McCarthy years in the early and mid 1950's or the communist scare tactics that "justified" our 12 year involvement in Vietnam or the "Evil Empire" frenzy that was created during the Reagan years that allowed a huge buildup of military spending. Americans have always been easily controlled by a well planned fear campaign so the tactics of the current President and his minions are not surprising at all. Is there an actual hatred for Americans? YES. Does this "danger" need to be controlled? Absolutely. The only question that matters is how we go about protecting ourselves and to determine when the sacrifice of American lives is literally necessary. I personally believe that situation should only be accepted as a last resort. I personally believe that we Americans have become too accepting of the deaths of our troops. They seem to have become just a daily statistic on the news or internet. Many will continue to point out that the 3,003 deaths in Iraq pale when compared to the 55,000 in Vietnam or 37,000 in Korea or 400,000 plus in World War II. They will tell you that the current "war" deaths is relatively minor and when only making a numbers comparison that is a fact. My question is; "What's the point of the comparison?"

The sacrifice of each and every American should at least get the collective attention of American citizens. Each death should matter and be a call for real justification of our actions. What are we doing? What is the plan? What, exactly, does "winning" mean? Is there a number of American dead that will become too many? Is America and its people willing to literally kill EVERY person on the planet that wishes us harm or doesn't like us?

Listen well in the days and weeks ahead and you will see and hear the President trying to convince you of the crisis we face and despite all reason and dissenting opinions the BEST "way forward" (another catch phrase) is to commit additional troops in a "surge" to gain control of Baghdad (something that we've been trying to do for over three years). He will tell us (AGAIN) how the Iraqi forces are being trained to "take over" for American (and coalition) forces. He will tell us (AGAIN) that Iraq will become an oasis of democracy in the middle east and therefore, democracy (our version) will surely spread throughout the region. He will tell you that more sacrifice is necessary and how proud he and the nation is of the bravery of those who will soon give their lives to our cause.

The President will NOT tell you that the "war" that we've gotten ourselves so involved in has almost nothing to do with terrorism (at least the terrorism we should be fighting) and is really all about the internal religious struggle between factions within Iraq and surrounding nations. The President will NOT tell you that our presence is really all about preserving the oil interests and has very little to do with the welfare of the citizens of Iraq. The President will NOT give us a specific definition of what "winning" actually means. The President will NOT heed to the "will of the people" here in America. The President will NOT change the stubborn direction that he (and his minions) has taken America and its citizens during the past five years. The President will NOT fully explain to us why, if America is actually at risk of a terrorist "army" invasion on American soil, he and his administration has NOT implemented the steps necessary to actually prevent such an "invasion".

The new Congress, now "controlled" by the Democrats will undoubtedly make many speeches telling us how they wish to work with the President in a "bipartisan" manner and how they are going to make things better and how they are opposed to any "surge" of troops in Iraq. All of this will just be a show. The hard fact is that unless the Congress is willing to cut off funding for the "war" (and risk a huge political backlash), the President can and will continue the "war" and all that involves with little consideration to any opinions or suggestions that his policy may be wrong. Real protection of the United States and its citizens will always be the primary duty and responsibility of our President, the Congress, and our military. The critical question that defines that responsibility is (and will be) just how and when to commit US military personnel and exactly when America is threatened to the point where such actions are understood and accepted by the vast majority of American citizens. As that issue is debated Americans (and countless Iraqi civilians) will continue to be "sacrificed".

Americans may now be so used to the sacrifice and the mourning (we seem to love the mourning) that the collective "we" will continue to accept the deaths and the carnage for many years to come. Sadly, it's becoming the American way.